Winter Cold
by Wyltk
Summary: Helga caught a cold and when Gerald and Arnold arrive to help they get snowed in with her.


ATTENTION: Contains spoilers to "Hey Arnold the Movie". 

AN: Hello all! I'm back, though not for long I just discovered Inuyasha and my fiction is becoming centered on this lovely Anime. But you needn't worry I'll be back. Trust me I will be back. Just need to get some of it out of my system. But hey if you like Inuyasha please check out my story. I'm really proud of it. Well enjoy the story!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hey Arnold or Hey Arnold the Movie whose flashbacks are at the bottom of this fic. I don't own and of the characters that are mentioned here. So no suing!

Winter Cold

By Wyltk

"Arnold!" Gerald whispered fiercely. He had been knocking for about two minutes straight and had just given up. Gerald had thought they would be going home but no. He had looked around the hall and grabbed the spare key from where it was hidden and unlocked the door.

"Arnold we shouldn't be doi-" Arnold motioned him to be quiet and felt his way down the hall way and to the light switch which he flung on. Blinking the spots out of his eyes he took a quick look around.

"Helga?" he questions softly and Gerald shook his head.

"Bold." Gerald said in a soft hiss as Arnold turned around and glared at him good naturedly.

"Helga!" he said slightly louder.

"Arnold! Quiet. I don't know about you but I don't want to be killed for breaking into her apartment." Gerald hissed again looking around.

"Gerald, we're twenty-three, we can check on her. It's not like we're nine and she's going to beat us up," Arnold caught Gerald's gaze, "well she might beat us up but she'll appreciate the gesture."

"Fine lets go but I'm not checking in the bedroom." Gerald said firmly before walking past the bedroom door and beginning to open doors glancing in shortly. 

Rolling his eyes at Gerald he walked to the bedroom door and opened it hesitantly. If Helga hadn't missed three days of work he wouldn't be in this situation. However, they were friends no matter how much she pretended she didn't need friends.

"Helg-Gerald! Quick!"

Gerald came rushing down the hall and ran into the bedroom where Arnold had already started to steady Helga who look paler then he had ever seen her. She glanced up at Gerald and then at Arnold and blinked her brow furrowed in confusion. 

"Gerald, Arnold, what are you-oh." She moaned and it became apparent that Arnold was the only thing keeping her and the floor from meeting each other.

Arnold picked her up easily and headed back towards her bed gently laying her down.

"Gerald, can you see if there is a thermometer in the bathroom?" Arnold glanced down at the bed and noticed she had a bucket beside her bed and he quickly walked to the bathroom even as Gerald came out and put the thermometer in her mouth.

Arnold emptied the bucket rinsing it out before grabbing a wet wash cloth and placing it on the side of the bucket. Coming out of the bathroom in time to hear Gerald whistle under his breath. 

"101.6."

Gerald spoke and Arnold shook his head placing the bucket down beside Helga's bed. He picked up the wet cloth and slow moped Helga's face before folding it and placing it on her forehead. She shivered even under all the Blankets and Arnold took them all away but one, knowing it would harm her more then help her.

"We should probably get her to a doctor's office." Gerald said and Arnold nodded getting ready to pick Helga up when she started protesting.

"Please. No doctors. I'll be alright just let me rest for a little while." She moaned and curled into a ball as she started to cough her entire body quaking with them. 

"Gerald will you go warm up our car while I get her ready?" Gerald nodded and was gone in seconds.

Arnold looked around the room and slowly brought the bucket and a thick blanket into the living room he grabbed a portable glass and put some water in it before setting it in the living room as well. He grabbed a pillow and brought it back out along with a pair of slippers and her coat. 

He went back into the bedroom to find Helga asleep still shivering. He gently pushed her hair away from her face and went into the bathroom grabbing some Advil just in case anything happened on the way there. He heard the door open and Gerald came in looking grimly at his friend.

"Gerald?" Arnold questioned at his serious look.

"Arnold, the storm worsened while we were here. The roads are closed and there is not way out of the building. Somehow the door got wet and its frozen shut. We're stuck in here. 

Arnold groaned rubbing his hand down his face as he stood up. Why did everything have to happen to them anyways? What kind of terrible game was fate trying to play with them?

"Are you sure?" Arnold asked glancing down at Helga.

"Yea saw it for myself they have the news on in the lobby. Besides even if we could get there the bridge to the hospital is out."

Arnold rubbed a hand through his hair and gripped before sighing and nodding. "Alright Gerald let's try and gets some fluids down her. I heard pneumonia has been going around. You want to try and find some chicken broth? I'll get the water I made and give her some Advil."

By the time Arnold had woken Helga and gotten the Advil and water down Gerald had found some chicken soup, cooked it, and brought it in to Helga. She didn't seem to want to eat it, though she did suck on the crackers he had found. She moaned and coughed again as Gerald and Arnold looked on worriedly. 

"Let's try her temperature again?" Arnold half suggested half asked as he placed the said thing in her mouth after she had finished with the crackers. 

The contraption beeped and around slipped it away from her and held it up to the light. 103.8. the thing read and Arnold started. Quickly picking her up and heading towards the bathroom.

"Arnold? Arnold what are you doing?" Gerald asked as he followed his friend holding Helga as Arnold bent down to turn on the water. 

"We have too cool her down. And we can't call Phoebe she's visiting relatives in Texas."

"But…" 

"Look I'm going to keep her gown on. I'm hoping by the time she is cooled down she'll be awake enough to change herself. Why don't you go find some of her… uh undergarments and another gown."

"Arnold, are you asking me, Gerald, to go into HELGA PATAKI'S room and go through HELGA PATAKI'S underwear? She'll kill me." 

"And I'm going to kill you if you don't." Arnold said turning to look at Gerald as he took Helga out of his arms and laid her in the cool water.

"Right, underwear and nightgown." Gerald nodded and headed off a few seconds later Arnold heard a distinctive, "Woah." followed by "Dental floss." Arnold smacked his head. He really had to get Gerald and Phoebe together. 

He turned back to Helga and grabbed a wash cloth slowly bringing it up to soak her forehead and the back of her neck. She shivered and pushed weakly against him. He shushed her and finally she leaned against his shoulder and allowed him to slowly cool her off. She became coherent after about seven minutes in the water and her brought her out handing her a towel and the clothes Gerald had left outside the door. 

After she assured him in weak tones that she would be fine he walked out and waited for her call. After a few minutes he began to worry and cautiously knocked. 

"Alright Arnold." she whispered and he came in picking her up pleased to see she had draped her wet gown on the side of the tub.

"Gerald?"

"Arnold, bring her into the living room. I got the couch ready I thought it would be easier to watch her and to rest if we needed."

"Plus you don't feel comfortable in her room."

"That too."

Helga started to protest weakly that she could walk but Arnold ignored her and brought her into the living room laying her on a fully made couch. He tucked the blankets up to her chin and smiled at her.

Gerald walked in seconds later with a fresh glass of water. He bent down to put it on the end table listening to the click as they were all suddenly pitched into darkness. 

"What happened?" Arnold asked numbly as his eyes began to discern darker shapes though he still could tell what anything was.

"Power outage?" asked an amused, though admittedly weak, voice below him, "Flashlights and candles in… kitchen."

The voice cut off in a coughing fit and he heard Gerald start to walk in the direction of the kitchen. Seconds later there was a crash and Gerald cursed. Shaking his head he got down on his hands and knees one arm probing in front of him as he crawled along the floor reaching the kitchen with only one bump on the head.

Once he was assuredly in the kitchen he stood up and felt around until he opened a drawer and stuck his hand in only to feel some sort of cutlery digging into his hand. He jerked back and mumbled an ouch as he opened another drawer and repeated the process until his hand closed around a flashlight. Mumbling a thank you to God he turned it on and examined his hand happy to find no blood. 

He turned the flashlight back to the drawer and was happy to find some candles and matches. "Found a flashlight and some candles, Gerald! Just one moment and I'll be in there."

"No problem the phone cord and I are just chillin." 

"The phone cord?" 

"Don't ask." 

Quickly he walked into the other room and set down the candles before flashing the light around the room finally finding Gerald who was sitting on the floor with the phone cord tangled around him. One he could see he quickly untied himself and held the flashlight up for Arnold as he lit the first candles.

Gerald announced his intent to go look for some more blankets and pillows for them and left Arnold to finish the rest of the candles and place them around the room. They quickly finished and Gerald suggested he go down and listen to the radio for any changes and see if they had some more batteries to buy.

"Take the flashlight." Arnold said as he arranged the Blankets and Gerald nodded with a grin. They did their 'thumb thing', as Helga called it, and Gerald left picking his way carefully by the weak beams from the flashlight. 

Arnold placed some of the blankets on Helga as he finished with the pillows and blankets and sat beside her quietly. He laid his head beside hers and closed his eyes intent on getting some sleep when her soft voice echoed in his name in his ear.

"Yes, Helga?" he asked softly moving his hand so it lay overtop of hers. His other hand reach up and brushed her growing bangs away from her face.

"Do you remember FTI?" Arnold nodded slightly squinting to remember why Helga and FTI building sounded so familiar in the same sentence.

"I really do love you Arnold. Forgive me for lying?" he jumped as the memory flooded back to him.

~*~

"But Helga you just risked everything to help me save the neighborhood." Arnolded asked with a confused look.

"So what's your point?" she asked her gruff voice back.

"That's a pretty amazing thing for someone you claim to hate." he looked closely at her.

"Yea, well, I'm a pretty amazing person, Football Head."

~*~

"Oh come on what's the real reason?"

"Oh, I don't know, Arnoldo, I guess maybe I just took pity on you and your stupid friends."

"Well, why?"

"Cause, cause I guess I don't hate you as much as I thought okay. I guess maybe I-I kinda like you a little. Heck, I guess you might even say that I like you a lot."

"You do? You did this for me?" his voice was incredulous.

"That's right hair boy, I mean, crimeny, what else are you supposed to do when someone you love is in trouble?" 

~*~

"About all that stuff I said Arnold I-I-I mean it was crazy back there." She looked off nervously.

"Yea with all the excitement we just kinda, kinda."

"Got carried away."

"You didn't really mean all that did you? You don't really love me, right?"

"Right."

"You were just caught up in the heat of the moment, right?"

"Right."

"You actually hate me, don't you?" his voice was insecure a first for Arnold.

"Of course I hate you! You stupid Football Head and don't you ever forget it, ever!"

~*~ 

"Really, Helga?" but as he focused back on her he noticed that she was sleeping.

Her eyes were closed peacefully over a pale complexion still slightly pink from the remains of her fever. The normally harsh lines of her face had softened and he looked in awe at the transformation that had occurred in seconds.

He finally understood what his grandfather had been talking about when he had told him that he would never see a more beautiful sight then when a woman had revealed a secret with trust and love.

AN: I love the end. Why?  Have no ideal but I love it. Right so hope you all enjoyed this! Don't forget to review! *winks*

Wyltk


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